Teen idol Jessica Simpson was in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday night, July 8, 2004, for a performance at Verizon Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kan. Pausing after her second song, Simpson had this to say about the heat and humidity - ``I guess we can all bathe in our sweat.'' (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star / Rich Sugg)

Reality hit the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Tuesday night, and it wore a pink dress.

Jessica Simpson. Say no more. Well, maybe a little. Her Reality Tour, like her successful MTV reality show with husband Nick Lachey, "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica," is as real as fantasy and fan projection can be. If an unremarkable but pretty girl can make it simply by being unremarkable but pretty, the reasoning goes, anyone can. Simpson is wish fulfillment made flesh.

At 24, Simpson is a singing (sort of), dancing (kinda) Barbie doll, and she makes perfection seem as attainable as Mom's car keys. Not surprisingly, Jessica look-alikes -- ranging in age from 10 to 40 -- packed the show in tanned droves.

At times the venue resembled a training camp for prospective Stepford wives -- with a caveat. In Simpson's world, perfect girls are allowed to belch, burn dinner and be dumb enough not to know the difference between fish and chicken. Imperfection is part of the package. That's the real "reality" of the Simpson phenomenon, and for all her manufactured gloss, it manages to make her genuinely charming.

Tuesday's 80-minute set worked as an extension of its star's bubbly TV persona, backed by video clips on a huge screen, three costume changes, a seven-piece band and three backup singers. Handfuls of fans stood in fenced areas at either side of the stage, where they asked Simpson between-song questions like, "What was the most romantic thing Nick ever did for you?" and "What is your favorite part of your job?" Simpson always responded enthusiastically: "I like your earrings and your top! Ooh! And you're married! "; "You're wearing pink! Pink is my favorite color!"

Each song had its shtick. Simpson covered Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money," absurdly interspersed with skits from "The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour." A rendition of Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," dedicated to her husband, sounded like an ode to autoerotic asphyxiation. She performed Robbie Williams' "Angels" as wind machines blew her hair and scarves and a cloudy backdrop billowed.

With her band successfully drowning out her tuneful but wispy vocals, Simpson led sing-alongs for anesthetized funk number "The Sweetest Sin" and an encore of "With You." "You Don't Have to Let Go" was dedicated to Simpson's father. "I Have Loved You" went out to the American armed forces. "I've been over to Afghanistan and Bosnia," said Simpson, long-faced. "I know how hard it is."

Opening act Ryan Cabrera performed songs from his new CD and a cover of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al." He had great hair.

Simpson gave him the requisite shout-out before laying herself bare for her fans. "My life this past year has been a dream come true," she enthused. "You don't care if I burp or fart or say something ditzy. You still love me. You let me be myself."

Who Jessica Simpson really is remains in question. Is she a genius playing dumb? An airhead on a roll? Puppet? Mastermind? Whatever she is when the reality cameras stop rolling, there's no denying her business savvy. She understands how ephemeral fame can be, and she's riding her wave of popularity like a golden surfer. Her fans are along for the ride. And the rest of us? We're just enjoying the fun. Pass the bubbly.